Are We There Yet?
by Mi-chan17
Summary: Charlie, Bill, and Percy...one firstyear's ride on the Hogwarts express. Prebooks


_**Are We There Yet?**_

_Dedications/Thanks: Written for Caliente as a (very belated) Christmas gift. Yay for Caliente!! And many thanks to Reenie/Risty for her beta-ing efforts._

"Are we there yet?"

Charlie Weasley rolled his eyes. "If you ask me that one more time, I am going to hex you so hard that you get there yesterday."

His mates sniggered as the inquisitive first-year who had asked the question flushed a little.

The first-year was the only one of his class in the compartment. All the others were Charlie's age, fourth years. Older boys. And boys that same first year rather wanted to emulate. He was so excited, to go off to Hogwarts. Mummy and Father had gone there, and of course his elder brothers went there now.

Percy Weasley hoped he would be up to scratch.

"You can't do that," he exclaimed to Charlie, who was basking in the glow of his mates' laughter and approval. "It's against school rules!"

The older boys erupted into laughter again. Percy, embarrassed for a reason he couldn't quite catch, looked down at his long thin fingers and hands that sat on his lap. "What?" He asked. "What's so funny?"

"No need to get cross, Midget," one of the other boys, Henry, answered. "We just don't want you bouncing 'round the compartment so much that you shoot out of the bloody train."

"Yeah, you're a bit excited, aren't you?" Another of them, Sean, laughed. "It's just start of term, you know. Not like we're going to the Quidditch World Cup or summat."

"It is against school rules, right?" Percy asked anxiously. "What are the rules? Are there a lot of them? What happens if you break the rules?"

"If you break the rules you get eaten by a dragon," Charlie offered with an off-hand sort of gesture that suggested this was old hat. "Really, though, supposedly it only hurts for a second. "

"Oh yeah," Sean agreed. "'Cept, o'course, sort o' hard to know for sure when they've died, isn't it?"

Percy's pale face went, if possible, paler. In fact, the others could have sworn that even his freckles had become the color of parchment. Percy's older brother and his friends were laughing hysterically and Perce felt his face grow flushed with embarrassment and indignation.

"You leave me alone, Charlie," he demanded. "Or I'll…I'll…I'll tell Bill!"

Bill, of course, was a prefect. If any one might stop Charlie and his mates, it would be the eldest brother.

"Go for it," Charlie shrugged.

"I will."

Bill Weasley had been enjoying a perfectly lovely chat with Rebecca Wallace. Or, rather, he'd enjoyed listening to her melodious voice as he snuck glances at her perfectly lovely bust. Boy, the farms in the south were rather growing something he was positive the rest of the country needed more of.

"So my father said…"

"BILL!"

That had been neither melodious, nor female, and Bill dragged his attention to the door of his compartment.

Percy.

"I need to talk to you right now," his younger sibling continued.

Bill nearly cried as Rebecca smiled sweetly. "I'll see you 'round Hogwarts then, Bill." And left the small compartment. Bill slid the door shut after her and turned to Percy, his face just this side of murderous.

"This had better be good, Perce."

"It is." Percy replied with an eleven year-old's gravity. "Charlie and his friends were making fun of me."

Bill nearly laughed, and it took nearly everything in him to keep from doing so. Percy was so dead serious that he'd have a right fit if Bill just ignored him. He'd promised his mother that he'd watch after Percy this year. And he was rather afraid of the howler he'd be getting if he somehow mucked it up.

He shuddered imperceptibly. Oh no. That wouldn't do at all.

"Alright," Bill responded after a moment, voice laced with good-natured amusement. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to punish them!" Percy responded immediately, and a bit impatiently. "It's not very nice and Mum made you both promise to be nice to me."

"Why don't you calm down a bit and take a seat," Bill suggested, reclining a bit on his own seat.

Percy did before demanding, "So what are you going to do?"

"Well what do you want me to do?" Bill asked.

"I…" The younger Weasley thought a few moments before announcing, "detention. For three whole months. And box them 'round the ears."

"Don't you think that's sort of too much, Perce?" Bill asked. "I mean, they were only joking around a bit. They didn't leave you bleeding on the carpet or something."

"They were taking the mickey out of me," Percy corrected. "And you two promised Mum."

"I can't punish Charlie and his mates for taking the mickey out of you just because Mum wouldn't like it," Bill laughed. "I'm a prefect, Perce. I'm not your baby-sitter."

Disheartened, Percy leaned back against the seat, folding his arms and sulking the rest of the way to Hogwarts.

Someday, when he was Head Boy, things would be different.

_Read and Review, please?_


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